That's like giving McDonald's a Michelin Star simply because a shitload of people eat there.

I don't think it's a participation trophy, as much as it's an answer to the backlash the Academy has been receiving for at least the past decade. With rare exception, they typically don't celebrate films most moviegoers would even be familiar with and tend to favor certain types of films over others. The term "Oscar bait" exists for a reason, after all.

There has been a huge disconnect between the Academy and most moviegoers (even the pickier ones) for a long, long time. While I don't think they should celebrate movies simply because they made a shitload of money, it would be nice to see other stuff in the mix aside from the usual crap most people haven't even heard of.

I don't think it's a participation trophy, as much as it's an answer to the backlash the Academy has been receiving for at least the past decade. With rare exception, they typically don't celebrate films most moviegoers would even be familiar with and tend to favor certain types of films over others. The term "Oscar bait" exists for a reason, after all.

There has been a huge disconnect between the Academy and most moviegoers (even the pickier ones) for a long, long time. While I don't think they should celebrate movies simply because they made a shitload of money, it would be nice to see other stuff in the mix aside from the usual crap most people haven't even heard of.

It's a participation award. There is no way in hell the way the Academy is currently made up that they are going to give a semi-live action cartoon the Best Picture Oscar or any other Oscar that's currently on the list. Those superhero type films currently might be able to pull off the "Academy Award for Best Animated Feature" but then they'll piss off the 100% animation enthusiasts. Hence why they came up with the "Popular Film" award or better known as the "Will you all shut the fuck up now... we gave your favorite shitty movie an award" Oscar.

Finally saw Infinity War and it was good. I'm definitely not the target demo having grown up on and absorbed thousands of comics I can pretty much outline exactly how the story will go. The only part of the movie that really stuck out for me was Spiderman's finale. Well done and even knowing he is coming back it was still emotional. Seems rare for superhero movies to pull it off after the series of gut punches that was Logan. Still looking forward to the next part. Good job and way more satisfying than Star Wars.

It's a participation award. There is no way in hell the way the Academy is currently made up that they are going to give a semi-live action cartoon the Best Picture Oscar or any other Oscar that's currently on the list. Those superhero type films currently might be able to pull off the "Academy Award for Best Animated Feature" but then they'll piss off the 100% animation enthusiasts. Hence why they came up with the "Popular Film" award or better known as the "Will you all shut the fuck up now... we gave your favorite shitty movie an award" Oscar.

Well, that's kind of the point: The Oscars lacks certain categories that cause some otherwise great films to be left out in the cold. I'm not even pretending to say that Infinity War should be up for Best Picture, but there are some phenomenal action movies or comedy movies that go entirely unrecognized by the Academy in most cases.

What you call "participation trophy", I call "steps towards recognizing good or great films that aren't just Oscar Bait".

UPGRADE is out this week digitally. That movie is great, saw it in the theater solo because no one else, wife included, wanted to see it. Just bought it on Vudu and watched it with my wife and she really enjoyed it. It's one of those films that is way better than you'd expect. I like the writer/director, lead actor and what the story was about, so I was in day one, but I can see how some people wouldn't be attracted to it.

It's extremely rare when films like the Lord of the Rings trilogy get recognized by the Academy. There are a number of films that get overlooked simply because of their subject matter or genre, despite the fact that they'd arguably have the same level of care, craftsmanship, and quality as other films they decide to pay attention to.

The Academy is painfully out of touch and while I don't think films should be handed a trophy specifically because they made a ton of money, I'd like to see them acknowledge films outside of Oscar-bait dramas with a little more frequency.

Between that and the Teen Choice Awards the Super Friends flicks are rotten with accolades. You should be pleased as punch. Unfortunately it doesn't look like any superheros won in the "Best Kiss" department this year. Oh well, something to shoot for in 2019.

Between that and the Teen Choice Awards the Super Friends flicks are rotten with accolades. You should be pleased as punch. Unfortunately it doesn't look like any superheros won in the "Best Kiss" department this year. Oh well, something to shoot for in 2019.

It's worth pointing out that I never once said the likes of Infinity War should be up for anything like Best Picture, or that they'd even be deserving of acknowledgment at the Oscars. It is, however, part of a genre that is typically ignored.

I think the Oscar for Best Picture should always go to the film that made the most money. The largest number of people saw that film and making money is the whole point of the industry.

Better to celebrate the biggest winner as the “Best” picture than to keep giving it to films that no one saw that the quality is often debatable.

See, I don't agree with that notion at all. "Best Picture" and "Picture That Made The Most Money" don't typically go hand-in-hand. By this standard, Disney's live-action remake of Beauty and the Beast would have been in contention for Best Picture for 2017...and I think we can all agree that it wasn't even close to being the best.

I think they need to acknowledge more films than just the Oscar-bait dramas they typically cater to...but I also don't think it should be a prize handed out to the folks who make the most money, simply because they made the most money.